Obama launches 2012 reelection campaign

By Jessica Schumacher on April 4, 2011 11:58 AM

President Barack Obama launched his 2012 reelection campaign Monday and recognizes that the grass-roots army that helped him get to the White House needs repair and rejuvenation, the Washington Post reported.

Obama told supporters to gather and protect the change he has made over the past two years in his first White House term, the Star Tribune reported.

The advisers to Obama said that a victory will rely on their ability to re-energize volunteers, bring together the unusual coalition of African Americans, Latinos, young people, women and college-educated white voters that previously backed Obama, the Washington Post reported.

The campaign will be filing paperwork to allow raising money that could be a record-breaking haul of more than $1 billion that will be based in Chicago, the Star Tribune reported.